Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Over my dead body. “No one touches Olivia. You so much as try, and Dmitri Romanov will be the least of your worries.” He hung up before his brother could say something else that would start to burn the bridge between them. Cillian turned for the door, but reconsidered. He dialed quickly. “Teague.”
“Do you know what time it is?”
“It’s not like you were sleeping.” Even if his brother did sound distracted. “I know it’s only been two days, but have you made any progress on the papers I asked you for?”
“I should have them ready in a day or two.” A soft voice said something in the background, but then a door closed and it was so muffled Cillian couldn’t make out her words. Teague spoke, distracting him, “You’re worried about how things will go down tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” He couldn’t tell Teague about the missing money. He might be Cillian’s brother, but ever since his marriage to Callie Sheridan, his first alliance would always be to her. Handing over a potential weakness wasn’t an option. But he could talk about Olivia. “Romanov isn’t going to give her up without a fight.” And every time the man let the O’Malleys get one over on him, he was potentially weakening his position. It wasn’t something a good leader would allow, and that was if things weren’t personal.
“I’ll call you as soon as the meeting is over and let you know how it went. If you have to get her and her daughter out of town in a hurry, you’ll at least have some warning.”
Since he doubted either Aiden or their father would be eager to do him the favor of a progress report, he appreciated the offer. “Thanks. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me shit. You’re my brother, and you’re doing the right thing. If I can help with that, I will in any way possible.” The voice sounded in the background again. “I have to go, Cillian. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
There was nothing else that could be done tonight. He walked through the house, turning off most of the lights and locking the doors. Mark appeared when he walked into the kitchen. Cillian paused. “Everything good?”
“Yeah. Quiet.” He patted his side where his gun was holstered. “We got this. Get some sleep.”
“I’ll have my phone on.”
“I know.”
There was nothing more to say. They were as covered as they could be given the circumstances. He trudged upstairs, feeling a hundred years old. He’d known his father was a stubborn son of a bitch, but he’d foolishly thought that the old man would support him in this—after all, Dmitri was using Olivia to threaten the O’Malleys—but of course all Seamus saw was the threat she posed. It seemed like he’d only gotten stricter and more brittle since shit went sideways with Carrigan. Everything was black or white. Gray would not be tolerated.
Well, that was too damn bad.
Cillian meant what he’d said to Olivia earlier. He wasn’t giving her up without a fight. He had serious feelings for the woman going on, and that kind of thing didn’t come around often enough to shit it away. He poked his head into the room she’d set up for Hadley, making sure everything looked good. The little girl was curled into a ball in the little portable crib thing that Olivia had packed, hugging a blanket to her chest. He shook his head and partially closed the door, then padded down to the room he’d shared with Olivia last night. She was asleep on the right side of the bed, one arm flung over her head and the other clutching the sheets to her chest.
He showered as quickly as he could, and then slipped into bed next to her. Cillian propped himself up onto his elbow and smoothed her hair back, staring down at her in the moonlight. She’s so fucking beautiful, it actually hurts. He traced his thumb over her bottom lip, and her eyes opened. She smiled. “Hey.”
“I’m sorry I woke you. You need to sleep.” But he wasn’t sorry. Not with her naked in his bed and gazing at him with that happy, sleepy look in her dark eyes. He cupped her face and pressed a light kiss against her lips. “Let me make love to you, sweetheart.” He kissed his way across her jaw to her neck.
“Yes.” Just that. Nothing more.
But he didn’t need more. She was here, with him. They might not be exchanging vows, but there was something real here, something he wasn’t about to let slip past him. If Cillian had learned anything in this life, it was that you couldn’t take a damn thing for granted. He ran his hand down her side to cup her hip. “You are so beautiful, inside and out.” He shifted down her body, trailing kisses as he went. “I meant what I said earlier. I have no intention of letting you go—either of you.”